Arms In Cradle Position?

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Dec 29, 2010
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I have been taught recently to keep arms clean to side when cradling any stunt (double downs, baskets etc) and I am just interested to see if there is a definitive coaching view point on this.

From watching vids, CEA open out in everything, but then is this because their twists in are always complete way before the cradle and therefore they have time to open out?

Which is better technique wise? What would a judge prefer?

I personally prefer opening out as I like helping my bases by taking my own weight.
 
Honestly you should try and catch yourself and open but in cases like double-downs you also need to not knock out your bases and it they are under-rotated then the best thing is to stay in if you are not all the way around and 2, work on getting all the way around, bigger pop better technique to catch your bases.

Big pet peeve is when I see a flyer flat cradle or single twist and I watch their arms in a t motion flopping around... CATCH YOURSELF!!!!!!!
 
My program teaches flyers arms in from level 1-5... The ONLY deviation to this is of the are doing a level 6 backwards flipping basket

The reason we do it is
one it just looks cleaner,
Two we have not had any cradle injuries to the bases since we started it
Three it lets the flyers focus on correct dish position as opposed to poking and falling thought the basket
Four when it comes time to twist, full or double, they spin faster and cleaner and higher
Five the back spot now catches to the side with the bases, which makes for tighter cradles and helps the bases out alot
 
Future Cheer in the UK are now teaching all coaches on their course to cradle with arms snapped into the sides of the flyer. This was the first time I had come across this and I haven't seen it anywhere else. Some teams do it for fulls/doubles, but they were teaching it for straight rides. What are peoples thoughts on this???
 
I wanted to teach my squad this.. but I couldn't figure out how the backspot catches. So if anyone could tell me exactly how, I would appreciate it :)
 
I wanted to teach my squad this.. but I couldn't figure out how the backspot catches. So if anyone could tell me exactly how, I would appreciate it :)
our backspots catch on the side with a base... So you have two catchers on one side... We teach them to catch on the same side they twist too, or will twist to as they side tends to get a bit more weight when your twisting into cradles
 
our backspots catch on the side with a base... So you have two catchers on one side... We teach them to catch on the same side they twist too, or will twist to as they side tends to get a bit more weight when your twisting into cradles

So they catch just like a base? Sorry so many questions, lol.
 
So they catch just like a base? Sorry so many questions, lol.
yup.... after they pop from whatever skill... they step to their left and stand shoulder to shoulder with base, arms out and catch... when we do baskets skill that require turning.... i.e. kick singles, after the backspot throw, they actually stand still and the base turns, and catch side by side... when we have front spots for whatever reasons in stunts or baskets, we make them catch more than just the pinky toe... they step in closer and catch from the knees and up, since the focus for the flier is to be so tight in his/her dish position, we rarely have fliers bending knee's in cradles,

changing our cradling technique is honestly one of the best things we have ever done... it has cleaned up our dismounts so much, and progression skills have become SO easy to teach
 
Maybe "opinion" but you tell me when you were learning to cheer exactly who told you there is no 100% correct way to cradle? So I think we are working with YOUR opinion.

sweetie... you get to a point after coaching so many teams and choreographing 100's of routines, that you realise there is a differences between technique and choreography choices... how you choose to cradle is a choreography choice, point your toes in jumps will always be a technique...

therefore... their is no 100% correct way to cradle...

have i made my "Opinion" clear?
 
sweetie... you get to a point after coaching so many teams and choreographing 100's of routines, that you realise there is a differences between technique and choreography choices... how you choose to cradle is a choreography choice, point your toes in jumps will always be a technique...

therefore... their is no 100% correct way to cradle...

have i made my "Opinion" clear?

You could have made your point in a more polite way.
 
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